Electric scooter riders in Brisbane might have to start carrying around their own helmets.
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It is illegal to ride an electric scooter without a helmet but the lack of helmets left with many electric scooters in Brisbane has not dissuaded all riders.
One Lime scooter rider, who did not want to be named, said he had ridden a few times without a helmet because there was not one available when he picked up a scooter.
“I was in a rush and I wasn’t going very far anyway,” he said.
A Lime spokeswoman said safety was the company's number one priority and Lime had tried to provide helmets for every scooter.
“Wearing a helmet is part of the user agreement.
“We encourage riders to wear a helmet, whether that be their own or one supplied by Lime.”
But the company did not respond to a question about how it could ensure every one of its scooters had an accompanying helmet.
Road police Superintendent David Johnson said the electric scooters had not been causing too much drama for police.
“I see it as an interesting trial and we are supportive of the trial, we just want to make sure everybody has a safe experience on the roads,” Superintendent Johnson said.
“We see far too many injuries caused on the roadside by people not wearing approved helmets both on bicycles and also on the scooters.”
Matthew Hope, who chairs the Queensland trauma committee for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, said helmets saved lives.
“I am aware of a significant amount of injuries coming through a number of our hospitals due to scooters," he said.
He said there was no public data on the injury rate associated with the scooters in Brisbane, but said information would be available soon.
“People often see helmets as an inconvenience and therefore they choose not to wear them. It is only people who have an accident where a helmet have saved their life who realise how good they are,” Dr Hope said.
He said helmets protected riders from two types of head injury: they reduce the likelihood of a skull fracture and they reduce the damage caused when the brain smashes against the inside of the skull on sudden impact.
Dr Hope said not wearing a helmet increased the chance of injury effects such as a change in personality and memory and complete loss of consciousness.
